13 March 2026
Spring songbird migration has barely begun but some sparrows already arrived. Here are 15 sparrow songs to look forward to.
Pittsburghers: My table below the video tells you when they’ll arrive in southwestern Pennsylvania. Fingers crossed for a fox sparrow soon.
| video# | Species | Occurrence in southwestern PA | Present in SW PA as of 12 Mar 2026? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Song Sparrow | Resident | yes. present and singing |
| 2 | White-throated Sparrow | Migrates through in spring & fall | yes and singing |
| 3 | White-crowned sparrow | unusual. Migrates through in small numbers in May | not yet |
| 4 | Field sparrow | Found in grasslands, not suburbs or cities | not yet |
| 5 | Dark-eyed junco | Migrates through in spring & fall | yes and singing |
| 6 | Bachman's sparrow | no. in southeastern US. Near Threatened | --- |
| 7 | Chipping sparrow | Breeds in SW PA. Arrives in April | not yet |
| 8 | Fox sparrow | Migrates through in spring & fall | Expected any day now |
| 9 | Grasshopper sparrow | Found in grasslands, not suburbs or cities | not yet |
| 10 | Black-throated sparrow | -- not here. Seen in western and southwestern U.S | --- |
| 11 | Eastern towhee | Breeds in SW PA. Arrives in late March, April | Expected soon |
| 12 | Green-tailed towhee | -- not here. Seen in western and southwestern U.S | --- |
| 13 | Spotted towhee | -- not here. Seen from west coast to Illinois | --- |
| 14 | Rufous-winged sparrow | -- not here. Seen from southern Arizona to western Mexico (not in Baja) | --- |
| 15 | Lincoln's sparrow | unusual. Migrates through in small numbers in May | not yet |
I heard an Eastern Towhee in Bridgeville, PA yesterday. (3/12)
We had up to 10 White-throated Sparrows – all at the same time – on the ground below the feeders. (in Bridgeville) In previous years we might have seen a few regulars but never such a crowd.
I heard and saw eastern towhees in Bethel Park on the 10th.
Fox sparrows are around! We had one in our backyard on the 7th.